


Time Taken

by Daydreamer



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cowboys & Cowgirls, M/M, Racial slurs, Reincarnation, Romance, Sexual Content, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-23
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2018-08-10 12:08:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7844341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daydreamer/pseuds/Daydreamer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Can a saloon owner and a wealthy landowner have a chance at a life together or does fate have other plans for them?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Time Taken

**Author's Note:**

> Written a while ago and part of the mass reposting of stories here on AO3

**Konoha Town, Texas 1865**

A dusty smell in the air filtered into the packed saloon. The heat of the late afternoon had everyone seeking shelter, many of the male population doing so in the local watering hole. Scantily clad women walked between tables where groups of men played cards or held rowdy conversations. Occasionally one of the working girls found herself on the lap of a horny cowboy, to which she simply played her role, laughing and teasing him in hopes of earning a bit of extra in a quick romp in the rooms upstairs. If anyone became too out of hand, the shotgun stored beneath the bar was brought into view easily enough and peace reigned again.

Naruto Uzumaki wiped sweat from his brow and poured another shot for one of the men leaning heavily on the bar. The idiot was falling down drunk and it was barely three in the afternoon. He might work the bar, but he rarely touched alcohol. It was bad enough dealing with a saloon full of drunks on a daily basis. 

A silver dollar was thrown onto the bar and Naruto pocketed it. Drunks gave the best tips, so he could not fault them overly much.

The summer heat always made men crowd into the saloon. Inside was just as hot, if not hotter than outside, but the whiskey and beer made it easy to forget the heat. The only ones who suffered were the girls. They couldn't make much when it was so hot that men did not want to even move, let alone do the deed in one of the tiny rooms arranged upstairs. They made up for it at night, though.

Turning his back to the room, Naruto set about checking the bar inventory. He would need to head into the back to restock before the night crowd arrived. If drinking was common now, at night, the entire place was packed to overflowing. As the only saloon, it meant good business for him, but a lot of work since his grandfather had died several years prior.

"Two whiskeys."

Naruto plastered a grin on his face at the voice and turned. He froze for only the passing of a breath before reaching to the top shelf and bringing down a bottle of the expensive drink. Without even being asked, he knew what these two would want. Only the best for the Uchihas.

Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha were two of the richest men in the territory. Their parents were some sort of foreigners from the Far East. They took offense to being called china men, and he had been told one night it was because they were not from China, but all those places sounded the same to him and he could not recall the exact place.

"Good haul?"

"The price on steers was reasonable," answered Itachi and Naruto fought the full body shudder that threatened to become evident at that rich voice.

"That's good to hear. I know some of the smaller ranches were beginning to worry that last year's drop in prices might be a sign of the end."

The Uchiha ranch was something to behold, so he was told. It had started as a small stretch of almost worthless land that the Uchiha patriarch had bought at far above the worth of it. Those who looked different were treated as such but Fugaku Uchiha was a determined man and with each subsequent year he extended his land until he owned most of the surrounding land. His steers were prime and he had little trouble selling them for a mint when it came time. It also made the family disliked by the majority of the smaller ranches, especially those who were forced to sell tracks of their own property to the Uchiha family during the lean years. Now, thirty years later, the Uchihas were kings of the area.

"Like we care about those assholes," snarled the younger Uchiha, his dark eyes glinting violently. "They are the ones who keep tearing down our fences and letting their animals graze on our land, land they sold us."

"Now, Sasuke..."

"Don't you now me. It's the truth and you know it. I don't need to remind you who killed father."

"There is no proof he was shot by anything other than bandits."

"Proof," snorted Sasuke. He downed his shot and stormed out of the saloon, his spurs jiggling on the hardwood floor as he left.

Naruto was just a kid when word reached the town that Fugaku Uchiha had been shot, still attending the little schoolhouse located on the edge of town. He hadn't known then, but later learned that local ranchers had approached the widow and children about selling back their land. They assumed a diminutive woman such as Mikoto Uchiha would not be capable of running a ranch the size of the Rocking Fan.

Surprisingly to everyone, fifteen year old Itachi rose to the challenge and took up his father's mantle. He was barely a teenager, yet he took control of the family and their holdings and grew them exponentially. Now at thirty, he truly was a king amongst the ranchers in this area.

"Trouble at home?" Naruto poured a second shot and replaced the bottle on the top shelf. Itachi never drank more than two shots of whiskey.

Itachi smiled and swirled the amber liquor in the glass. "Annoyances."

"That's not what it sounds like from your brother."

"Sasuke's a hot head." Itachi downed the shot and withdrew several coins from his pocket and laid them precisely on the bar. "He's never stopped blaming them for Father's death."

"Do you think they killed your father?"

"Perhaps."

"You need to be careful. You're far more powerful than your father. They might come after you, especially if they don't get a good price for their stock."

Itachi inclined his head and smiled. "Are you worried about me?"

Naruto was thankful for his sun darkened skin and the poor lighting in the saloon or else he was certain his blush would have been evident for everyone to see. "I just don't like seeing good people hurt."

Itachi dipped his head so that his face was partially hidden by his Stetson and smiled almost sadly. "That's good to know."

With those words, he turned and strolled firmly from the saloon, ignoring the sneers and glares from the men inside. Most of them worked for or were owners of the smaller ranches in the area. Naruto did not feel bad for them. It was their choice to sell their land, and for likely more than it was worth. They had no reason to dislike the Uchihas. It was jealousy, pure and simple. 

"Damn chinks they're worse than the negros."

"Shut up," hollered Naruto. "You know I don't allow that sort of talk in my saloon."

A sour look was sent in his direction, but the overly loud talk was halted. Naruto had quite a bit of power too considering his was the only watering hole for at least a day's ride. And, he'd had to deal with slurs because of his name. The only saving grace while having a name like Naruto Uzumaki was his bright blond hair and blue eyes. He didn't recall his parents, his grandfather having raised him from a small boy.

Rolling his eyes at the muttering that came from the table of the loudmouth blowhard, Naruto went back to tidying up the bar in preparation for the night.

oOo

The last drunkard was escorted through the swinging doors and a few of the girls were sitting around a table looking a little worse for the wear. As long as they paid Naruto a nominal rent, they were allowed to stay in rooms above the saloon. His was the only locked room on the upper floor.

"Good night?"

A strawberry blonde calling herself Sakura, glanced at him with hazy eyes. "Depends on what you mean by good."

Naruto chuckled and accepted a few coins from her to cover her room for the coming week. Her name had been different when she had arrived in town, but she happened to see the Uchiha men and immediately changed her name to what she thought might appeal to them. He knew enough about them to know they did not spend their money on whores living out of the saloon.

At three in the morning, none of the saloon girls looked well. Their makeup had run and their hair was in disarray as well as the smell of sex coating their bodies. The girls had been worked hard, as was every night. He did what he could to help them, even if it was just to mind the peace and beat the shit out of anyone who roughed them up. They, along with him, would sleep until at least noon when he opened the saloon once more.

"Go on up to your rooms, girls. You've earned a bit of rest."

"No rest for the wicked, eh Naruto?"

Naruto grinned and shrugged. "Well, I've long since decided that I'm going straight to hell, so I might as well have a good time while I'm at it."

Ribald laughter filled the room. "You've never taken any of us upstairs. I think that makes you as lily white as fresh snow."

Naruto's grin widened. "Ladies, as lovely as you are, I never sleep with the merchandise."

A series of rolled eyes were followed by the slow clomping of feet up the stairs. They were all good girls. He wished he could do more for them than offer them a place to sell their wares, but he had to live too. At least in his house, the customers were forced to treat them right. It was well known that if anyone roughed up his girls, they would find themselves banned from the saloon if not facing down the end of his shotgun.

He didn't mind admitting he was protective of the girls and they loved him for it. He even provided them with a hot breakfast when they roused themselves from bed and then kept a pot of stew in bubbling in the back for them to eat whenever they could get a break from business. Keeping the girls happy and healthy helped increase his business, so it paid to take care of them even if he would have done so should they be a drain on his profits.

He whistled a tune while he wiped down the bar and then tossed the rag in a pail of dirty water. Carrying the bucket outside into the alley beside the saloon, he tossed the filthy water and was about to return when warm arms wrapped around him.

He barely had a chance to register what was going on before he was tugged inside. Lips danced over his neck above the collar of his shirt and he sighed. When teeth skimmed the skin just below his ear, he groaned in response.

"Do you know how hard it was for me waiting until you closed up?"

Naruto swallowed as the words rippled over him. "Is that so?"

"You know it is," came the growled response and the sound of that guttural rendition of the words sent a shock of excitement directly into his dick.

"Then, let me make it up to you."

Naruto turned to face his lover. Itachi Uchiha's almond shaped eyes gleamed in the faint light from the lanterns waiting to be doused. His sun-kissed skin was smooth and caught the light in a warm glow. Slender features and soft lips called to him. Without thought, he pressed forward to kiss Itachi's chin, taking it between his teeth and nipping at the flesh.

Itachi groaned in response and pulled Naruto closer. "I want you."

"Let me finish closing up first."

Naruto reluctantly released his grip on Itachi's shirt and set about dousing the lamps set about the room. All the alcohol was already locked in the back and the girls were in their beds. Their relationship was a secret that no one could know of. Itachi had it hard enough being who he was, but Naruto could very well be run out of town if anyone knew of what he did with Itachi when the lights went out.

It started innocently enough, but somehow along the way, they took to comforting each other with their bodies. He wished they could live openly with each other. Not even Itachi's brother knew the extent of their relationship, though he imagined Sasuke suspected something. That man was too smart not to. 

But Naruto had no regrets. He would take what he could have and be happy. At least they had more than some people. Passing glances and stolen nights were all he was allowed and he would take them and be satisfied to love Itachi from a distance. 

He shot Itachi a grin and began making his way toward the stairs. There was no point in wasting what remained of the night on thoughts that did nothing but cause his mind to wish for more. He would love Itachi and when morning broke, Itachi would leave out the back and ride back to his ranch. It could be days or weeks before he saw him again, but every time he came to town, Naruto knew his night would be filled with forbidden pleasure.

"You're thinking loudly," purred Itachi in his ear as his door was pushed open and the two stepped inside.

"Then how about you set about distracting me."

Itachi's lips quirked and his fingers lifted to begin unbuttoning Naruto's shirt. His fingers paused every so often in their duty to stroke the dusky skin they revealed before continuing on. Naruto shrugged out of the shirt and stepped back while Itachi set about removing the shirt he wore.

Naruto took in every inch of creamy skin that was revealed. Broad shoulders tapered into a tucked waist and narrow hips. Skin was pulled taut over ropey muscles and only a sparse amount of hair decorated his body. Naruto had seen drawings of famous statues in books and thought that Itachi could be a model for one of those artisans.

"Like what you see?"

"God, you are a worse tease than the whores sleeping next door."

Itachi just smiled and set about releasing his belt and sliding it free. He settled down in a chair near the bed and tugged his boots from his feet before slowly unfastening the buttons on his denim trousers.

Naruto stood with his lips parted at the sight before him. If his dick had been hard before, it was now doubly so. How was such a natural act of taking off boots so arousing? Maybe it was just that it seemed so natural. There was no overture or insecurity between them.

"Are you going to get undressed or do I need to do it for you?"

Naruto blinked and attempted to balance on one leg while tugging at his boot. Had his boots ever been this difficult to pull off? Itachi chuckled at him and shook his head.

Itachi stood in a graceful motion and slid his trousers from his legs. They pooled on the floor at his feet and he stood naked for Naruto's eyes. Knowing that this body was his alone sent another shot of pleasure into his groin and he struggled even more to pull his boots from his feet before his cock poked a hole in his trousers. 

Itachi walked past him and to the dresser against the wall. He pulled over the drawer and extracted a tin from inside. Inside was a cream that Naruto bought from one of the women in town for his hands to keep them from getting cracked in the winter. She had commented about his sudden need of more of it and he simply chuckled and said some of the girls at the saloon were using it up when in actuality, he and Itachi were using for their sordid activities.

With a smirk over his shoulder, Itachi walked to the bed, bent over, dipped two fingers in the cream, and immediately reached around to press the fingers inside him. Naruto's world suddenly went white at the sight.

"Holy fuck," he whimpered before suddenly crashing to the floor.

Both of Itachi's brows rose at the sight Naruto made in a crumpled heap on the floor, scrambling to remove his trousers while still wearing one boot. A bit of arrogant pleasure spread across that angular face before he went back to pushing his fingers in and out to stretch the muscle there.

God, his cock was as stiff as a metal rod and he wanted to be in Itachi so bad. "Fuck."

Itachi's eyes darkened a bit as he turned and promptly straddled Naruto's hips as if he was a horse. Strong thighs gripped him and he groaned at the feel. All that time Itachi spent on horses was certainly evident and his body reacted savagely. Small beads of cum pearled on the tip of his cock and dribbled down the side. He was minutes, seconds even, from embarrassing himself.

Itachi reached down to cup Naruto's balls and tug them almost painfully. It was enough to bring him under control and he sighed in relief. Damn, Itachi could predict his reactions and counter them perfectly, as if they had been together forever.

Dark eyes stared down at him. There was so much need and want in them that Naruto could not break the connection. Even without saying it, he knew Itachi, like himself, wished they could have more than stolen moments. Maybe one day the world would change, but it would not be in their lifetimes. What they had now was all they would have.

Naruto reclined on his elbows and met Itachi's descending face. Their lips locked and both groaned into the other. Tongues pressed and dueled while hands gripped each other's body. Naruto's blunt nails left pink lines on Itachi's back and Itachi left small crescents on Naruto's arms. They marked each other with temporary signs of what they felt and needed.

Their hands somehow locked on each other as they ate away at each other's lips. Heat built between them and threatened to overwhelm them both.

Itachi's lips traveled down Naruto's chest and he writhed beneath the assault. His body rippled under the addicting touches and he was forced to press a fist into his mouth to keep from crying out Itachi's name. They were not truly alone and the walls were only so thick. If any of the girls were awake, they would hear it for certain.

The scent of their desires was encompassing the room. Naruto was biting his knuckles raw and Itachi was rocking against him so that the damp head of his cock created wet trails on Naruto's abdomen. It had been several weeks since their last encounter and neither was in any shape to extend things, at least not this first time.

Naruto slipped his hands around Itachi's hips and cupped his ass, spreading the globes as Itachi sat back and latched onto Naruto's shaft. There was a moment spent to rub more of the cream on Naruto before Itachi moved and sank slowly down on the girth of Naruto's erection.

Both were panting heavily by the time Itachi was fully seated on him. He wanted to scream for him to move but instead only a garbled sound of pleasure escaped him.

"Itachi...oh God...move please."

The world could have crashed down around them and neither would have noticed. All that mattered was the other. In the distance, a crash of thunder rumbled and a whip of lightning was visible streaking across the sky. The weather aptly imitated their passion.

What they felt was raw and stark. It flashed in great waves over them as they began to move as if one. The need of one fed the need of the other. Their lips breathed into each other as Naruto sat up and pulled Itachi close to his chest, wanting every inch of skin that was possible to be touching.

"I love you," he whispered fervently against Itachi's moist lips and received a hard kiss in return.

His palms ran across every inch of flesh he could touch. Hips. Flanks. Shoulders. Back.

Pleasure danced through his body with every movement of Itachi's hips. He could feel the wet slide of a warm cock against his stomach and reached down to flick his fingers over the tip, savoring the low groan that erupted from kiss swollen lips. His hands strayed again to cup the warm globes of ass before the finger of one hand slipped between the crease to touch where they were joined. The flesh was stretched tight and he could not resist stroking the area.

"God, Naruto." Itachi threw back his head and his long hair trailed behind him. "Fuck, that feels good."

Interior muscles contracted around him and Naruto pressed his head into Itachi's shoulder. He was going to come. He couldn't fight it any longer. The warm and tight crevice where he sat was contracting too perfectly around him and pushing him over the edge of restraint.

Jets of cum spurted from him and he jerked and cried out at the sensation. As his body quaked, enough remained of his mind to allow him to stroke hard on Itachi's erection, the flesh having grown dark in its angry arousal. A few strokes and flicks of fingers over the head had Itachi going ramrod stiff and shooting across Naruto's abdomen.

They remained gripping tightly to each other before collapsing in a heap on the floor. Naruto's dick slid from the grip of Itachi's body and Itachi pressed his brow to Naruto's shoulder.

"I missed you while you were gone."

"I know," whispered Itachi.

Itachi lifted his body from Naruto and slid to the side. There seemed to be something he wanted to say, but the words weren't coming. Neither of them wanted to ruin the moment. Tonight felt different, and Naruto did not want to lose what they had with time spent talking.

oOo

As the sun rose in the east, Itachi dressed while Naruto lay watching him from the bed. Something had felt different about the previous night. It was primal and neither slept for more than a few minutes before they were devouring each other again. The smell of sex permeated the room and he could not find it in him to care.

"Itachi?"

Itachi turned his gaze to Naruto. "Yes?"

"I love you."

Those dark eyes were so sad as he sat on the edge of the bed. Their lips met in the sweetest and heart wrenching kiss of Naruto's life. He felt his soul attempt to draw Itachi in and when they finally parted, his eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"Goodbye." With those words, Itachi stood and walked from the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

Naruto noticed the ribbon that Itachi had used to tie his hair still remained on the dresser. He stood and plucked the length of cotton and lifted it to his nose, imagining he could breathe in Itachi's scent.

"Goodbye," he whispered to the empty room.

For Naruto, that feeling of aching in his chest did not stop until the train arrived in town several days later and a demure girl was assisted from it. She wore a strange robe like dress and was met by the Uchiha family. It was later that night when Naruto was cleaning up the bar that Sakura leaned against it and sipped a bit of whiskey.

"I heard that Itachi Uchiha is getting married."

Naruto was so shocked, he dropped the glass he was drying and it shattered on the floor. "What?"

"One of my customers mentioned it. She looks like him and his brother, so I guess he sent for her. He's thirty, so it's probably smart of him to marry and start working on the next generation."

Naruto felt as if he was blindsided. His heart shattered. He had known something was off in their last time together several days prior, but he had never thought that Itachi would marry. 

Time seemed to stand still. The world moved and he completed his duties as if in a fog. The rumor mill spun wildly and it was revealed that Mikoto Uchiha had arranged the marriage with a friend from their homeland. Naruto saw Itachi escorting the girl around town and did his best to hide from them. He tried to hate the girl, but hating someone was just not in him so on the day of Itachi's wedding, he took a bottle of his most expensive whiskey and stopped Sasuke when he saw him on the street heading for the local church.

He was too immersed in his grief to really notice the flash of compassion in Sasuke's eyes as he handed off the bottle. There was no way he could ever give it to Itachi in person. His heart couldn't take it.

The wedding was the talk of the town and it was not long before there were little Uchihas running about. Naruto watched the children with an ache in his heart. As the years bled into each other, he watched from the safety of his saloon as Itachi's children grew up and married and had children of their own. Itachi's sons came into the saloon from time to time, sometimes with their uncle, but none of them possessed that quiet strength of Itachi. He tried to blame that on the mother, but in the end, none would ever compare to Itachi regardless of who their sire was.

Itachi never came into the saloon again, though Sasuke would stop in from time to time. He always seemed to speak about how Itachi was doing and Naruto lapped each word up. Those small times were what kept him going as time passed.

Nearly forty years after their last night together, news reached the town of Itachi Uchiha's death. Naruto waited until after the funeral to approach the grave. His hands caressed the wooden cross marking the freshly turned earth and he wept for all that they'd had and all that they had lost. He never once cursed Itachi for what had happened, because they had both known that what they had could never be in this world.

"I love you," he whispered in his gravely, old voice. "Maybe we'll have another chance at it in the next life."

The wind whispered around him and he could almost swear he finally heard reciprocation for the words he said so willingly but had never heard from Itachi's lips. He liked to think Itachi never said them so to keep from hurting him more than was necessary. The words might never have been verbally spoken by Itachi, but those beautiful dark eyes had said them in response each time.

His heart burned and he moved with trudging steps to his saloon that was now run by a couple of young men he had taken in after the death of their parents in a fire several years back.

"Hey, Uncle Naru, want to play some checkers?"

Naruto grinned and shook his head. "I'm a little tired. I'm going upstairs to rest. You boys take care of things down here."

Several hours later, one of Naruto's adopted sons found him on his bed. In his hand was a frayed ribbon and a smile adorned the face that seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

Naruto Uzumaki was buried the next day not far from his beloved Itachi and their story ended; only known by one other man. The entire town came to the funeral, but it was the old man, brother to Itachi, that smiled sadly and remained at the graveside when all others had left. He alone had known what the two meant to each other and had to watch from the sides as they grieved for each other over the course of a lifetime. A prayer was sent in hopes that they might have another chance to have what this life had denied them.

oOo

**Konoha Town, 2016**

Naruto Uzumaki stumbled down the steps of the public library, his arms filled with text books. He was so busy trying to keep from dropping his books that he did not see the man ascending the steps until it was too late and he crashed into him.

Books went flying and both tumbled to the ground under the force of the collision. Thankfully, Naruto had been nearing the bottom of the stairs and the stranger had been just reaching them so neither took a dangerous tumble.

"Oh, damn...God, I'm so sorry." Naruto was the first to react and began patting his hands over the man's body to ensure he was not injured.

"It's alright."

Naruto flushed bright red and sat back on his haunches. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm fine," he repeated.

Naruto stood and extended his hand. "I'm really sorry about that. I wasn't looking where I was going and then bam."

"Yes, I can see that."

A jolt shot up Naruto's arm as the man's hand wrapped warmly around his. He stared at where their hands joined before tugging and helping him to his feet. Even when the touch ended, he felt tingles still rippling through his fingers and up his arm.

He glanced to where a spilled cup of coffee lay on the pavement. "Hey, let me apologize for what happened, spilling your coffee...and you for that matter. Starbucks is just around the corner."

Naruto watched the man stare intently at him for several seconds before nodding. "It's fine, but I wouldn't mind company over coffee."

A grin spread across Naruto's face and he extended his hand. Once again his hand was clasped in the grip of that slender hand and something just felt right, as if all the planets in the universe just clicked into place. He didn't want to release the hand, but to keep them joined together for eternity. It was a silly thought, but he could not shake that them meeting was meant to happen.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

The man returned a small smile. "Itachi Uchiha. It's a pleasure to meet you, Naruto."

The End.


End file.
